Gratiot County Players' production of Spamalot is a lot of fun

The French Taunters look at a large wooden rabbit during rehearsal for "Spamalot" at the Strand Theatre in Alma Wednesday, June 5, 2013. Spamalot is a musical comedy based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (Sun photo by KEN KADWELL/@KenKadwell).

French Taunters, the Black Knight and the Evil Rabbit are iconic figures that sprang into existence in the 1975 film classic, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” courtesy of that comedy troupe’s brain trust: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.

Well, maybe not exactly iconic, but certainly memorable in their capacity to entertain legions of Monty Python fans – and normal, everyday people who enjoy wacky humor, sight gags and spirited dialogue.

All those characters and many more are part of “Spamalot,” penned by Idle, which was the 2005 Tony Award winning stage version of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

Now, equally wacky members of another talented theatrer troupe are eager to explore Monty Python’s altered reality of the Arthurian legend when the Gratiot County Players present “Spamalot” during upcoming weekends, this Friday through Sunday and again June 21-23, at the Strand Theatre in downtown Alma. Performance times are 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, with 3 p.m. matinees on Sundays, June 15 and 23, and a special 1 p.m. matinee on Saturday, June 22.

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Tickets for “Spamalot” are $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and students over 18 with valid school ID and $6 for youth 18 and under; reservations please call 989-463-2593; for online purchase information visit www.gratiotcountyplayers.com

It’s the first time that the artistically and technically demanding show has been performed locally, but the Gratiot County Players are most definitely up to the challenge.

“We’ve got an incredible cast and crew, an absolutely great music director in Bob Crist and vocal director, Jeff Rayburn, and perhaps one of the best orchestras we’ve ever assembled here - the staging, music and overall production are going to wow people,” veteran GCP director Laurie Harrison says about the show, which features a full pit orchestra and dozens of fast-paced scenes with tons of singing and dancing.

“Spamalot” is also the first time that a pair of GCP actors who are very familiar with the Strand stage – and each other – have ever performed opposite one another in leading roles, although they’ve both been involved on stage, directing and behind the scenes for many years. Doug Ballard is King Arthur and Angie – Doug’s real-life wife – is Arthur’s beguiling and thoroughly bewitching Lady of the Lake. The duo is having a grand time with their respective characters.

“I’m thoroughly enjoying everything about Arthur and the show in general – this is a great cast and Laurie is doing a wonderful job directing and pulling everything together,” Doug says.

His better half – on and off stage – agrees.

“It’s impossible to pick out a favorite scene or song in a show like this because each one stands on its own merit and the whole production from beginning to end is so funny,” Angie says, noting that the slightly off-center humor will make people laugh whether they’re familiar with Monty Python fare or attend “Spamalot” as novices to the comedy of the famous English troupe.

As noted in the show’s program notes, the somewhat bawdy nature of “Spamalot” may not be suitable for young children - parental discretion is advised - and the GCP production has toned down some of the dialogue, but not enough to disrupt the comedic flow of sketches like those involving the French Taunter or original songs including the unique and uproariously funny “Fisch Schlapping Dance” that opens the show after its introduction by The Historian.

“Watching the ensemble singing and dancing in that song is just hilarious,” Jared Cline, cast as Sir Lancelot the Homicidally Brave, says with a laugh about the comic piece that involves Finnish villagers slapping each other’s faces with fish. “Probably my favorite piece is Sir Robin’s song, “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway” in Act II. There’s so much humor in it with the parodies of musicals like “Fiddler on the Roof” - it’s just a great time.”

Sir Robin, aka Willie Harrison, readily admits to being an avid fan of Monty Python material in general and “Holy Grail/Spamalot” in particular. The director’s son can quite honestly take more than a little credit for GCP staging the production.

“My son saw the show in Chicago, and when I saw it, I laughed through the whole production,” the director says. “It’s a huge show, but I knew we could do it here.”

Local audiences are the beneficiaries of the GCP’s decision, although Sir Robin clearly is pretty pleased, too.

“I loved the original movie and the stage version and really enjoy playing multiple characters,” he says about his portrayal of Brother Maynard, Swamp Castle and Mud Castle Guards in addition to Sir Robin.

He’s not the only actor cast in multiple roles. Scott Messing has a trio of parts, while perennial GCP actor/director/producer Kevin Fitzgibbon is the Finnish mayor in the opening scene and throughout the remainder of the show is Arthur’s servant and constant companion, Patsy - who follows him around banging two coconut shells together to make the sound of a horse’s hooves as Arthur “rides” before him.

“It’s a little difficult keeping in step and in rhythm with Arthur riding his horse,” Fitzgibbon says with a wry smile, adding that the entire production is absolutely top-notch. “The sets and props are incredible, the music and orchestra are great, and people who see this will be thoroughly entertained.”

“There are so many classic scenes in “Spamalot” taken from the original movie like the Black Knight and Killer Rabbit that the props people and set designers have done a great job recreating,” he says.

Those props are unusual and downright silly, as should be expected in a musical like “Spamalot.” In addition to the Killer Rabbit, there’s a Trojan Rabbit (substituting for the Greek’s horse), and a gigantic can of Spam as part of a song-and-dance sketch that explains why Camelot is Spamalot, “we eat ham and jam and Spam a lot.”

“The props, sets and costumes are amazing - everything’s fantastic,” says Nathan North, cast as one of Arthur’s knights, Sir Bedevere The Strangely Flatulent, who along with Sir Dennis Galahad The Dashingly Handsome (Matt Small) sing and dance their way through the staged mayhem.

It’s the music that drives the madness and somehow keeps a nonsensical plot line moving forward as King Arthur gets sidetracked from the Grail quest in a search for shrubbery and the production of a Broadway musical demanded by the Knight Who Says Ni.

“The chorus is phenomenal and the finale is awesome,” Small says, crediting Rayburn for his choral direction in numbers like “The Song That Goes Like This” between himself and the Lady of the Lake that spoofs Broadway love songs and the spritely “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life” - a sure bet to be an audience sing-along.

The vocal director is equally impressed by the talents of the GCP cast.

“It’s great to have a group of actors who are also singers, and this show has a lot of fun songs,” Rayburn says, noting the added challenge of dancing and keeping in character while singing at the same time. “There’s no doubt that audiences will leave here happy.”